What is National Sourdough Bread Day?

On April 1st, one of the world's oldest leavened breads is recognized on the world's oldest leavened breads.

Sourdough dough is made by the process of long fermentation of the dough using lactobacilli and yeasts. The bread is slightly sour but with a pleasant aroma due to the use of naturally occurring yeasts and friendly bacteria versus cultivated yeast.

Sourdough is thought to have appeared in Ancient Egyptian times around 1500 BC, and it is most likely the first form of leavening available to bakers. It also remained the traditional form of leavening during the European Middle Ages.

Sourdough bread was the primary bread made in Northern California during the California Gold Rush and is now a part of San Francisco's culture. The bread was so common at the time that the word "sourdough" became a nickname for the gold prospectors. A "sourdough" in The Yukon and Alaska is also a term used to describe someone who has spent an entire winter north of the Arctic Circle. It refers to their custom of shielding their sourdough during the coldest months by holding it close to their body. During the Klondike Gold Rush, the sourdough tradition was also carried into Alaska and western Canadian territories.

The San Francisco sourdough bread is the most popular sourdough bread made in the United States today, and it is the most popular sourdough bread made in the United States today. The San Francisco variety has remained in continuous production since 1849, with some bakeries able to trace their roots back to California's Gold Rush period, in comparison to sourdough production in other areas of the country. Many restaurant chains keep it as a menu staple. With your morning cereal, Sourdough bread is a popular alternative to your soup, stew, or toasted.